The Indian Express ·
Japan prepares ground for T20 with India, Sri Lanka pitches in, and sponsors line up
September 22 match part of celebrations marking 75 years of bilateral ties.
In January this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, exchanged cricketing gifts. Motegi’s gift was the Japan cricket team’s pink jersey, while Jaishankar handed him a bat autographed by Indian cricketers.
That proved to be a harbinger of sorts. The two countries are now set to play their first bilateral match at the Sano International Cricket Ground, about 100 kilometres from Tokyo, on September 22. Team India led by Shreyas Iyer will face the Japan team captained by Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming in the T20 International.
The match is part of the celebrations to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in July, the two sides had announced 2027 as the ‘India-Japan Year of Shared Horizons’ to mark the milestone.
